


You Should Take It As a Compliment

by bestkindofbadsomething



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Based on a song, Drunken Confessions, Drunkenness, F/F, Heavy Drinking, Oneshot, college party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-11 14:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19111879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bestkindofbadsomething/pseuds/bestkindofbadsomething
Summary: " You make me so happy it turns back to sad, there's nothing I hate more than what I can't have, you are so gorgeous it makes me so mad. "Gorgeous - Taylor Swift





	You Should Take It As a Compliment

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize beforehand that the lyrics read 'ocean blue eyes' and Evie has red-brown eyes. It doesn't fit but I didn't want to leave those lines out of the story.

Mal truly had no idea when she had stepped over that invisible line into drunkenness. Really, she didn't. She hadn't exactly had the intention of doing so when she arrived, but she knew that her mind had completely changed barely fifteen minutes into the party, the sight of alluring deep blue and a startling smile forcing her into a different state of mind than her original mindset to _'simply get her mind off finals week for a bit'_.

            Her mind had gone through quite the process since that morning. First, it was: _usual day, usual routine, I can do this. I do it every day_ ; then: _of course finals are next week and I didn't remember_ ; to the simple mindset of: _fuck_ ; shifting from that into: _I really need to study for finals_ ; and finally landing at: _I'm going to that party I heard about tonight. I need to think of anything other than finals._ Now, she stood at a firm _'fuck'_ again.

            For a college party, it was certainly more laid back, which was probably why Mal was sticking out like a loose grey slab in a wall of colored stone. She was used to being the odd one, though, never having really fit in anywhere, but the part of her mind that still held onto some sort of sense of herself was reminding her that the last thing she wanted to do right now was be noticed - well… be noticed by _her_. Still, there Mal was, fourth drink in hand, talking to people she didn't even recognize. And, of course, to make matters worse, she happened to be talking to these people _about_ Evie.

            "… I mean, come _on_!" Mal heard herself saying behind the slight haze of her own mind. "Who does she think she is? Talking like that?"

            "I'm sorry, but _who_ are you talking about?" The girl she was bombarding asked, looking annoyed but curious enough to keep the conversation going.

            With an uncoordinated swoop of her arm, Mal gestured in Evie's direction. " _Her_. Evie."

            "And… How's she talking that bothers you so much?"

            "Like she's…" Mal gave an uncomfortable cough. "… Like she knows she's the prettiest in the room."

            At that, the small brunette she had been keeping locked in a conversation simply glanced over at Evie briefly before looking back at Mal and offering her a quizzical sort of smile, placing her hand on Mal's shoulder, almost in a comforting way. _What's this girl's name?_ She was sure that she had been told, but Mal's head was swimming as she tried to figure it out. _It started with… an A?_ At least, she thought it did. But she couldn't fight that battle right now, not when she glanced back over to where she last saw Evie standing to find her watching her, a look of curiosity etched into her flawless features. Mal couldn't help but let out an audible huff as she quickly averted her gaze, and - ignoring the look the girl she had been talking to gave her at the sound - she tipped her head back to finish off her current cup before walking in the opposite direction of where Evie stood, still watching. _There really should be consequences for how beautiful she is._ Maybe it was something only a drunk Mal would think, but she knew that even if she were sober she would absolutely hate how reeled in she felt by just one simple look. Her attraction to the other girl was far too strong for her mind and body to handle, and, with just a brief glimpse of the party, she could tell that she wasn't the only one who seemed to be mesmerized by the blue-haired beauty lingering near the drink table with her friends.

            Mal shifted her gaze back to the drink table where Evie was, her stare longing, although she wasn't quite sure if it was because of Evie or the drink she was now afraid to approach the table to acquire. She had known Evie for a while now, having met her early on in high school, and it had been the same way back then, just with them actually being closer to friends than simply acquaintances - the crush had definitely still been there, though. When she had chosen Auradon University as her college she had thought she would finally get away from the girl, but that hadn't worked out well, obviously, because there Evie was, standing across the room with people Mal didn't recognize, talking, laughing, having a good time, being far too alluring for Mal's current health to be in good standing. It was obvious that Evie recognized her from the few times they accidentally met each other's gaze, but Mal was trying to not let that raise her hopes - after all, even when they had been closer, Evie had never shown the slightest bit of interest in her.

            "I haven't seen you in a while."

            Mal literally jumped at the sudden voice and the body sliding up beside her. Not recognizing the voice, she turned to see who was speaking to her, her stomach immediately making an unsettling shift when she met Carlos' eyes.

            She cleared her throat, looking away. "Yeah, it has."

            "I think Evie told me that you had stopped talking to her," Carlos said conversationally, taking a small sip from the bottle of water he held in his hand. "But here you are, talking about her. To everyone."

            "I didn't talk to you," Mal pointed out, not sure what else to say but wanting to defend herself.

            There was a silence where the music seemed too quiet, the bass no longer rattling Mal's brain. Then Carlos spoke again.

            "She talks funny, huh?"

            "I didn't…" Mal desperately wished that she had another drink. It might make this conversation a notch less awkward. "Yes."

            "And why was that?" Carlos questioned, but it was clear that he was just making a show of thinking and not actually asking her for the answer. "Because she knows that she's the prettiest in the room?"

            "What can I do for you, Carlos?" Mal turned on him suddenly, stumbling the slightest bit.

            Carlos laughed, taking another drink. "You're still into her then?"

            Mal growled. "I'm not!" And, on impulse, she made the stupidest decision of her life. "I have a boyfriend."

            _Well, maybe he won't notice how terrible of a lie that is._ Which sort of meant that she hoped Carlos didn't still talk to Jay, and that Jay didn't tell him about her. It was a long-shot, though, the two had gotten along far too well in high school to just drop each other when Jay went off to college a year before Carlos did.

            "Oh, really?" Carlos smiled knowingly at her, but didn't accuse her of lying. "Where is he?"

            "He's not in college, he's older than us," Mal continued, making her boyfriend up as she went.

            "Not a partier then?"

            "Just not a college one."

            "So, he _does_ go to parties?"

            "Clubs."

            "What's he do at those?"

            "I don't know. Clubbing things."

            "Sounds like true love," Carlos mused.

            Mal's jaw clenched, and she looked away from the boy. That turned out to be a huge mistake because she ended up looking at Evie again, the girl still having an entire crowd around her. Mal hated her. She really did.

            A guy passing by was carrying a whiskey bottle and a couple glasses filled with ice, and without thinking Mal snatched the bottle and a glass from him, glaring to send him shuffling away when he exclaimed his disapproval of her action. When Carlos raised an eyebrow at her, she just narrowed her eyes as she removed the top from the bottle and poured the drink over the already melting ice, her gaze immediately returning across the room as she took her first drink, making it a long one as she caught the way the girl next to Evie got incredibly close to her.

            Mal scoffed at the sight and averted her gaze, avoiding Carlos' eyes as she busied herself with pouring another glass for herself. She had been fine before today, before she had seen Evie again. _Who would have thought that studying would be the more fun thing to do?_ Now, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to forget the information that Evie attended the same school as her, yet again. She just knew that she would be looking for her everywhere after tonight, her face taking up too much space in her head for her studies to go well.

            Mal closed her eyes and sighed as the whiskey burned its way down her esophagus. She thought she had finished with this when she had started college, but she supposed now that she had been wrong in assuming her Evie-inflicted misery had come to an end.

_You should take it as a compliment_

_That I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk_

_You should think about the consequence_

_Of your magnetic field being a little too strong_

_And I got a boyfriend, he's older than us_

_He's in the club doing I don't know what_

_You're so cool it makes me hate you so much_

_I hate you so much_

_Whiskey on ice_

_Sunset and Vine_

_You've ruined my life_

_By not being mine_

            Before Carlos could say anything else or accuse her more, Mal set the empty glass down on the chair next to her before walking through the doorway nearest to her, entering a hallway. Honestly, she was a little surprised that her body was still working so well considering how much alcohol she had consumed, especially since she hadn't had even a sip of alcohol since she had gotten out of her mother's house. She should be a lightweight by now, but she guessed that there were some things the body never forgot.

            However, the effects of the alcohol showed directly after she noticed the lack of hindrance when she ran directly into somebody in the hallway, the accident being entirely her fault because the boy had been keeping to his side and out of her way. All she knew was that she felt her nose connect with bone and she was stumbling backward, accepting that she was going to hit the floor seconds before long arms wrapped around her to keep her from falling.

            "Hey," Ben greeted softly.

            Looking into hazel eyes, Mal smiled awkwardly. "Hey."

            Mal really hoped that there was nobody around to witness what was happening, but she knew that was a frugal hope, that she had seen several others in the hallway; now, she could only hope that Evie hadn't found her way out of the main room to watch the incredibly awkward scene unfold. She had no idea why Evie was still the one on her mind, but she also couldn't change the thoughts going through her head, not even when someone else stood right in front of her - well… not even when someone else was _holding_ her. Remembering the position they were in, Mal cleared her throat and glanced down at their joined bodies, hoping the boy would understand what she was requesting.

            "Sorry," Ben breathed out before pulling her back to her feet and letting go of her. "So, what are you doing here?"

            "What does it look like?" Mal replied with an evasive question.

            Ben cleared his throat awkwardly. "Getting drunk, it would seem."

            "Are you judging me, pretty boy?"

            "No," Ben said hastily. He cleared his throat again. "Nope. Not at all."

            Mal didn't respond to that, simply pushed her hands into her jacket pockets and glanced around the hallway. A low groan escaped her when she saw Evie, leaning against the wall near the doorway Mal had come through to get into the hallway, her gaze on Carlos as the boy talked. That didn't last long, though, because soon Evie's eyes were raising to meet Mal's again, the smallest smile playing on her lips as Carlos turned to look at her as well. _Fuck!_ Mal thought, looking away from both of them. _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

            Impulsively, she grabbed Ben before he could successfully move around her. "Hey! Where are you going?"

            "I was…" Ben trailed off, seeing the new look in her eyes. "… going to get a drink. Did you want one?"

            _Yes._ "Um… I probably shouldn't."

            Ben smiled at her. "That's probably a good call."

            Before she could do anything else, Ben continued down the hall. Once he had passed her, Mal let him out of her sight, not wanting to follow his movements and risk catching Evie's gaze again. Sighing, Mal made her way down the hall and into the emptiest room she found, the occupancy only being three before she entered. She should just leave, but she wasn't quite sure she'd be able to make it back to her apartment in this state, so she simply leaned against the desk she found in the darkened room, gripping the edges tightly as she closed her eyes to concentrate on her breathing. _You're okay. You're not that drunk, you can wait it out for a bit then head back._

            When someone leaned against the desk beside her, she should have looked, but she decided to keep her eyes shut instead because she had a feeling who it was. It was almost like Evie had been taunting her all night, so she had no doubt that the person now next to her was her. And when smooth fingers brushed over her hand where it gripped the desk, she simply let out another heavy breath instead of pulling her hand away.

            "You should try to relax," Evie spoke quietly, her voice coated with silken honey. "That is what you came here to do, after all."

            "What makes you so sure of that?" Mal retorted, still not looking at the other woman.

            "Is that not why everyone comes to a party?" Evie questioned smoothly.

            Once Evie had stopped talking, Mal realized that their hands still rested together and pulled her hand from beneath Evie's, feeling as though she should definitely say something about it, at least tell her that her touches were unwelcome, but she remained silent, still refusing to look at her.

            "Mal," Evie started, clearly not liking the silence that had spread between them. "I haven't seen you in years. How have you been?"

            "I'm fine," Mal deadpanned.

            "Okay," Evie shifted how she leaned against the desk. "And why are you talking to everyone but me?"

            Mal clenched her jaw. _Of course, he told her._ "You should take it as a compliment."

            "I'm not sure I understand that compliment."

            "Too bad."

            "Maybe, you should try giving me a different compliment?" Evie prodded, and Mal could hear the smile in her voice. "Or… Maybe you should just try looking at me. Is it that hard?"

            _You have no idea._ Despite her internal response, Mal finally opened her eyes and turned her head to find Evie's smile widening at the sight of her listening to at least one of her requests. Before she answered, she looked away again, this time turning to lean her backside against the desk instead. "I’m drunk, I was trying to keep the room from spinning."

            "Mm," Evie hummed. "I'm sure that's it."

            There was silence.

            Evie was the one to break it, again. "I usually don't get this bad of a reaction from the women I approach."

            With that, Mal couldn't stop her mind from wandering to the idea of Evie having a girlfriend, or maybe a boyfriend; she honestly couldn't remember if she liked boys as well. She _definitely_ remembered that Evie liked girls, though, because she could remember spending her entire high school life haunted by the knowledge that Evie didn't like her simply because she wasn't interested in _her_ , and not just because she wasn't into girls. The idea of Evie having a girlfriend had always unsettled Mal, and nothing was different now.

            "Sorry to not give you the applause you're used to. Maybe you should go to your girlfriend to make up for it."

            "I don't have a girlfriend," Evie immediately replied, still seeming unfazed by Mal's attitude.

            Honestly, hearing that was a lot worse than the image of her being with someone. Crossing her arms, Mal dared another look at the girl, almost immediately regretting her decision when she found herself mesmerized by Evie's beauty in only one second. She was trapped, and her chest tightened more and more the longer she held Evie's gaze, making her feel as though she were steadily slipping under an ocean wave she would never surface from.

            It wasn't a good feeling, looking into those red-brown eyes and knowing that she would never be able to call their owner hers.

_You should take it as a compliment_

_That I'm talking to everyone here but you_

_And you should think about the consequence_

_Of you touching my hand in a darkened room_

_If you've got a girlfriend, I'm jealous of her_

_But if you're single, it's honestly worse_

_Because you're so gorgeous it actually hurts_

_Honey, it hurts_

_Ocean blue eyes looking in mine_

_I feel like I might sink and drown and die_

            Mal already knew that looking into Evie's eyes with this little of distance between them would be the worst decision of the night, but now that she had she couldn't look away. Which, for Evie, was quite unfortunate if she wanted to keep the conversation going. Mal was sure that Evie understood and was used to people being left speechless by her beauty, so she wouldn't worry about it too much.

            "How's the boyfriend?" Evie broke the silence, yet again. "Do I know him?"

            "No, he's older than us," Mal blurted out, surprising herself with how immediate her response was; she had been sure that she would stutter out her words with their eyes locked. "You don't know him."

            "What's his name?" Evie asked, taking a sip from the cup Mal now realized she was holding.

            "Uh…" Mal drew a blank.

            "Too drunk to remember?" Evie questioned with amusement, a light shining in her eyes as she took in Mal's dumbfounded expression due to all the questions about her nonexistent boyfriend. "That's not a good sign."

            "Leave my relationship to me," Mal growled.

            Evie held up her free hand in surrender, the smile gracing her features making Mal happier than it should. "I'll leave it alone. It just doesn’t seem like you could ever be happy in a relationship where you forget his name upon becoming drunk."

            "That's not leaving it alone."

            "Well, what can I say? I'm _curious_."

            Her smile, the tone of her voice, her smoldering gaze - none of it was helping Mal in the slightest. In fact, the only thing Evie was managing to do was make her angrier than she had been when she had first spotted the woman at the party, furious that Evie still held this amount of power over her. _I should be completely over her by now, it's not like anything even ever happened between us. There shouldn’t_ be _anything to get over._ But she knew that telling herself she shouldn't feel the way she did about Evie wouldn't actually help; no matter what she did or told herself, Evie would still get underneath her skin.

            Focusing back onto the way a single corner of Evie's lips was quirked into a smirk had Mal's heart dropping low into her stomach, the amount of delight she received from a simple expression causing her to be disappointed in herself.

            "Why?" She managed to croak out, broken.

            "Because I'd really prefer it if you didn't have a boyfriend," Evie husked, her lips curving upward as she took another small sip from her cup.

            _Why? So you can torture me again? String me along, maybe?_ Internally, she scoffed. She hated that Evie had always dangled herself in front of Mal purposefully, using her seductive techniques and flirting to reel her in only to back away just enough to remain out of Mal's reach. It really was the most annoying thing Mal had ever experienced.

            "There's nothing anyone hates more than what they can't have."

            Mal had absolutely no idea why those were the words that had tumbled from her lips, but with the way Evie's eyebrows furrowed she found herself glad that her drunken mind seemed to know what it was doing better than she ever did when sober. She was well aware that she was the one who hated that she couldn't have Evie, but it was enough to see the reaction the retort had gotten out of the other woman.

_You make me so happy it turns back to sad_

_There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have_

_You are so gorgeous it makes me so mad_

            Satisfied, Mal went to step around Evie, but ended up tripping over the girl's foot and stumbling into the wall. The sound of her shoulder colliding with the wall wasn't a pretty one, but she was certain that nothing too terrible had come of it when nothing more than a dull throb reached her attention. Pressing her hands into the wall, she righted herself, but before she could find her balance again, she found a hand grazing her back.

            "I'm fine!" Mal hissed through her teeth.

            "Come on," Evie spoke softly, not removing her hand from Mal's back. "Let me take you home."

            "I don't need your help!"

            "I think you need somebody's help, and I'm offering, so stop being so stubborn and let's go."

            With a heated huff, Mal allowed Evie to slide her arm around her waist as support before following her pull and walking beside her into the hallway. It didn't take long for them to be out of the crowded house, and Mal found that the night's wind felt great against her face, clearing her head as much as possible while still under the influence of six glasses of alcohol.

            She barely registered Evie guiding her into the passenger's side of a small car, barely registered Evie climbing into the driver's seat seconds after closing the door behind Mal. Once Evie was in the car, she reached across Mal and pulled the seatbelt from its slot and across Mal's body until a clicking sound echoed through the small, quiet space of the car. One more click sounded before the engine started and the car began moving. Mal definitely didn't like the feeling of the moving car, so she leaned her head back against the headrest of her seat and closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe slowly through her nose.

            Before she knew it, they were standing outside of her apartment, Mal leaning against the door while Evie carefully searched through her pockets until she found the apartment door's key. Evie slid her arm around Mal again before unlocking the door and pushing it open, and Mal supposed she should thank her for doing so considering that she would have fallen if she hadn't, but she was too busy trying to remember when she had told Evie where she lived. She vaguely remembered giving Evie her address, but it felt almost like it had happened in a dream. She allowed Evie to guide her into her apartment, watching silently as she closed the door behind them and tossed the keys onto the coffee table before dropping Mal onto the couch. Awkwardly, her shoulder protesting with every movement, Mal pulled her jacket off and tossed it toward the chair beside the couch, not sure if she had aimed correctly or not.

            Laughing lightly, Evie shifted Mal so that she was lying on her side. "Stay there."

            Mal could only watch as Evie stood and disappeared from her sight, uncertain if she could even form any more words when looking at her. Her drunken state must have given her the courage to speak to her, considering the last few times she had seen her were written into her memory with the embarrassment that she had failed to say anything to Evie when the other girl had been trying to talk to her. She was becoming more like that version of herself again, and she knew it as soon as Evie came back into view. Setting a bucket beside the couch within Mal's reach, Evie sat back against the coffee table, her gaze on Mal's face but no longer pressing for conversation.

            Closing her eyes, Mal released a heavy breath she was sure smelled like an awful mix of the varying alcohols she'd had during the night. "You know I hate you, right?"

            "I've had that feeling since senior year," Evie replied quietly, her gaze burning into Mal's skin despite Mal not knowing if she was even still looking at her. "I just don't know _why?_ "

            "Why?" Mal repeated, wrapping her arms around herself.

            Evie hummed in confirmation, waiting to see if Mal would actually tell her this time.

            "Because you never truly noticed me."

            "What do you mean by that, Mal?" Evie asked, sounding confused by the revelation that had finally found its way into the air between them after several years.

            "I hate you because I've always been in love with you," Mal explained, voice so quiet she wasn't even sure if she had actually said anything or not.

            "That makes no sense."

            "It makes perfect sense."

            There was a silence where Mal could hear Evie shift against the coffee table, the sound of the bucket moving letting her know that Evie had accidentally knocked into it. In the silence, Mal swore she could hear Evie working through her words in her head.

            "You hate me because you're in love with me, but I've never noticed you?" Evie pondered to the both of them and Mal nodded with a light hum accompanying the movement. When Evie spoke again, her voice was softer than Mal had ever heard it. "You don't think I ever felt the same way."

            It was more of a statement than a question, so Mal didn't feel the need to confirm it.

            Evie sighed. "Get some sleep. We'll talk about this later."

            "Evie?"

            "Yeah?"

            "Even though I hated you for always overlooking me and was furious because I was in love with someone who didn't notice me, I've never regretted loving you."

            Despite everything she had been feeling since meeting Evie again after several years apart, Mal knew that the words she spoke were the truth, and for some reason it felt good to dig out that feeling from inside herself. She heard Evie shift again, and opened her eyes to meet her gaze, but found that Evie was looking somewhere else.

            "Go to sleep, M."

            That was the only response Evie gave her, so she closed her eyes again with a heavy sigh, settling into the cushions below her, one last thing tumbling from her lips before she allowed the conversation to finally fall.

            "You're gorgeous, E."

_You're so gorgeous_

_I can't say anything to your face_

_Because look at your face_

_And I'm so furious  
At you for making me feel this way_

_But what can I say?_

_You're gorgeous_


End file.
